In a computing network, data is generally transmitted in the form of network packets (sometimes referred to as datagrams, segments, blocks, cells, frames, or packets) according to predefined protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). A sequence of network packets transmitted from a source device to a destination device is referred to as a network flow or network traffic.
Network packets generally comprise network data (control information) and payload data (i.e., a “payload”). The network data is, in general, data that intermediate network devices (e.g., switches, routers, etc.) use to forward the packet from the source device to the destination device. This network/networking data may comprise, for example, information in Layer 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 headers, such as source and destination addresses (e.g., source and destination Media Access Control (MAC) addresses), error detection codes (i.e., checksums), sequencing information, etc. The network data is generally found in a portion of the packet referred to as the packet header (i.e., the information that precedes the payload) and/or the packet trailer (i.e., the information that follows the payload).
The network data (e.g., Layer 1/2/3/4/5/6/7 headers) and/or the payload data included within the network packets may be used to analyze/monitor (e.g., diagnosis, audit, etc.) the state and/or quality of the computing network. In certain circumstances, this analysis may be performed by an outside vendor/third-party using a subset or portion of multi-destination (e.g., mirrored/copied) network traffic that is sent between a source and a destination.